You probably have heard of Sardis, the famous restaurant that is home to thousands of celebrity portraits. 

Few know the backstory behind these iconic caricatures and it’s as fascinating as the people whose face’s line Sardi’s walls.

Opened in 1921 in Manhattan’s Time Square, Sardi’s was founded by Italian immigrants Eugenia and Vincent Sardi.   The tradition of hanging caricatures of notable patrons and theater crowd stars in restaurants and cafes had been well established in Europe by the late 1920s.   It was a tactic used to not only celebrate the restaurants wealthy clientele but also attract the average-Joe diners.

In 1927, an artist named Alex Gard, a Russian refugee and friend of the owners was living in poverty when they offered him a proposal.  In exchange for creating portraits of the restaurants patrons, they would provide him too square meals a day plus an open bar.  Gard accepted and Sardis caricature legacy began.

From the beginning Sardi’s was more than a restaurant, it was a social hub for Broadway.  Performers, agents and journalists would meet there before and after shows making it the unofficial clubhouse of the theater world.

It’s reputation grew to the point where being sketched on Sardi’s walls was a badge of honor for any performer.

Spanning a hundred years the stars of yesterday and today are a memorable pleasure to see, so here’s just a taste of who is hanging out at Sardis:  Al Jolson, Grace Kelly, Gene Kelly, Jack Lemmon, Jerry Lewis, Peter Lorre, Shirley MacLaine, Walter Matthau, Liza Minnelli, Zero Mostel, Al Pacino, Vincent Price, Anthony Quinn, Tony Randall, Tim Rice, Joan Rivers, Ginger Rogers, George C Scott, Neil Simon, John Steinbeck, Ed Sullivan, Barbra Streisand, Elizabeth Taylor, Danny Thomas, Sir Peter Ustinov, Dick Van Dyke, Christopher Walken, Raquel Welch, Fred Astaire, Lauren Bacall, Pearl Bailey, Lucille Ball, Harry Belafonte, Leonard Bernstein, Yul Brynner, Cate Blanchett, George Burns, Richard Burton, Al Capone, Art Carney, Johnny Carson, Carol Channing, Bradley Cooper, Daniel Craig, Joan Crawford, Tim Curry, Betty Davis, Sammy Davis Jr, Michael Douglas  Faye Dunaway, Henry Fonda, Jackie Gleason, Robert Goulet, Marvin Hamlisch, Hugh Jackman and many more. 

The priceless ink and watercolor portraits adorning the walls, now have duplicates displayed and the originals are kept in a safe since they had star-snatching bandits. 

Today the restaurant’s collection of caricatures is crafted by four artists and there are 700-800 up on its walls at any given time.

If you are ever in The City That Never Sleeps,  maybe see a play and craving some wonderful Italian fare, Sardis is your Broadway best bet.